Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Last Thursday I had the pleasure of attending the Vicks Winter Warmup Event in Boston. The speaker for the event was pediatrician, author, and mom of 4, Dr. Meg Meeker.

The first thing that struck me about Dr. Meeker was how down to earth and easy to relate to she was. In her opening she explained how moms today put a ton of pressure on themselves to be the "perfect mom", and how we set ourselves up for constant internal criticism because being a perfect mom isn't realistic. She further explained that being perfect isn't really what our kids want. What they want is unconditional love. When she asks the children in her practice what they love most about their moms, most often their responses are: "My mom gives the best hugs!"

In her book The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers, Reclaiming Our Passion, Purpose, and Sanity, Dr. Meeker reveals the 10 most habits of healthy, happy moms. It offers ways to get rid of the mom guilt. (I haven't read her book yet, but we were each given a copy to take home for ourselves!)
Dr. Meg also discussed several beliefs she feels are very important as a mom.

1. You know your child best.

2. Trust your gut. When something doesn't feel right go with that feeling. If you aren't getting the answers you are looking for from your child's pediatrician, don't be afraid to push. You are your child's advocate and it's your pediatrician's job to find out the answers.

These little gems of wisdom I whole-heartedly agree with, in fact it's probably the best advice you could give to any first time mom.

With cold and flu season right upon us, it was the perfect time to discuss tips for dealing with a sick child and cold and flu prevention.

When your child has a fever treat it with a fever reducer such as Tylenol or Motrin. As long as the fever starts going down within the hour your good. If you aren't seeing any improvement or the fever goes higher you need to call your pediatrician.

Something interesting I learned from listening to Dr. Meg was that when a child has a fever and a febrile seizure occurs it is not caused from how high the fever is, but how FAST the temperature rises. Also once a child has a febrile seizure they are more likely to reoccur, so always be prepared. Always have a working thermometer in your home.
Another thing to remember: colds are caused from viruses and do not respond to antibiotics. Only a bacterial infection is treatable with antibiotics.

This doesn't mean you can't do anything to make your children feel better if they have a cold. You can do any of the following as needed:

*Use saline drops in the nose for congestion.

*Elevate the bed or crib by placing a pillow or folded blankets UNDER the mattress, never in the mattress it's poses a suffocation hazard.

*Give lots of fluids, especially with a fever, Pedialyte for children under 2. Gatorade or clear liquids for children over 2. Stay away from soda.

*Run a humidifier in the bedroom at night, it helps soothe vocal cords and prevent you nasal passages from drying out. Vicks has come out with a new line of humidifies, there is a type for everyone!

These two were my favorites!﻿

Starry night displays stars on your child's ceiling in three different colors! How cool is that?

And for all you germ-a-phobes out there, Vicks makes a Germ Free humidifier!

As far as stopping the spread of germs: practice good hygiene and teach your children too.

Wash hands frequently with soap and water. Teach your children to cough and sneeze into their elbow, not their hands! Drink from paper cups when someone is ill in the home. Replace toothbrushes after an illness or monthly.

The thing to remember, and not beat yourself up about is this: Kids are going to get sick. We can do many things to reduce the amount of colds and sicknesses they get by practicing and teaching good hygiene. But when they do inevitably get sick and run a fever, trust your gut and do what you need to do to help your child get well.

Disclosure: I was compensated with lunch and a gift bag with Vick products. No monetary compensation was given. The opinions expressed here are my own.